You Just Needtobreathe in a New Semester

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My, how time has flown by.

Last semester was tough for assorted reasons. Why? Well, to know you'll have to get some back story and let's tie it with some good tunes. I have a few favorite bands and it seems like one has followed me through all the ups and downs since high school graduation.

I didn't apply to any colleges my senior year of high school. I really felt like I was called somewhere else: Zambia. So, I let the months pass without researching schools. Instead, I was Googling volunteer organizations and visa applications. There were only two schools I visited my senior year (ASU and Salem College) and honestly, I only went to calm my mother's panic at my lack of a back up plan.

Truth is, I didn't want a back up plan. Maybe not the best thinking on my part, but I knew God would have not put the desire to go to Zambia in me if it wasn't going to work out. Applying to schools quickly took the back burner. I focused on getting to Zambia, spending time with friends, work, and occasionally, when I bothered to get over my severe case of senioritis, school.

Four days after graduation, I left for Zambia. I didn't really have a plan, I didn't really know what to expect and I was really hoping that someone would be at the Lusaka International Airport to pick me up (there was someone, thank goodness!). The Sunday before I left, a friend sang one of my favorite songs, Washed by the Water. I was certainly washed by tears that day. It was hard to leave my friends and the idea of leaving home for a year was starting to hit me.

The time I spent in Zambia was great. Truth is, I would never trade the time I took off from school. Now, that doesn't mean there weren't points where I was overwhelmed or lonely, and there were definitely moments where all I wanted to do was pack my bags and head to the States.

I had to come back to America eventually though. On a whim, I applied to Appalachian State University. It was the only state university that I had not missed the deadline for and it was also my top choice of schools. So, I ended up in Boone, NC and was hit by culture shock...

What is it like to go back to school after taking a year off? A bit stressful, I won't lie. I struggled last semester. I stressed over deadlines, I overslept and missed my anthropology class more times than i will admit, I got overwhelmed by living in the dorms, I missed my kids in Zambia... I could go on and on.

Disclaimer: Don't think I hated school! I do love college and ASU and I've met some great people... it was just a lot the first semester!

Every day that I got down about school due to assorted reasons would also be the day I would hear Something Beautiful being played in the dining hall. I always took it as a reminder that not everything was as bad as I thought it was at that particular moment. I mean, there were good parts to being back in the States and at school after all. (One notable event? Going to a needtobreathe concert last semester!!)

Now, I'm looking towards a new semester at school in the new year. YES! A new start, a new page, a new season. I'm excited... I like this new chapter of 'moving on' and thankfully I have some true friends that are trucking along with me.

This semester, I will resolve to abide deadlines, not spend so much money on iTunes, learn to cope without so much coffee, try not to devote so much time looking at airfare prices, attempt to be on time or at least a little less scattered, keep listening to needtobreathe until I wear their songs out, appreciate old friendships that faded and look forward with new friends, and not fall down stairs covered with ice so much!